Day 10 Firenze

Today’s trip was to the Uffizi Museum, which has become one of my favourite art galleries.  I just love the long passages, with their wonderful painted ceilings,

 their walls lined with marble statues and paintings

 

and their  views over the city.

 

 

 And the art!   I kept thinking to myself, “Ooh, that’s  Piero della Francesca's Duke of Urbino !”.  

"That's Lorenzo di Credi's Venus!", and so on!

 

 

The art develops from pre Renaissance onwards and it is fascinating to watch the styles gradually develop, from narrow eyes to wider ones, from a focus on the Saints to a focus on man, from Christ coming from a brunette family, to him being from blonde parents,  from people looking very middle eastern, to  them looking very Germanic, and so on.  What they all have in common is their connection to the Roman Catholic Church.  Whether the church acted as patron to artists, or the Bible  and the saints were the subjects of the paintings of the artists, most of the  work is linked in some way to the Church.

 As a non catholic, I hadn’t realised how many saints died in gruesome ways. It has firmed my intention of never becoming a saint.  A lot of the work is very amusing to our modern eye.  I reckon Hermann Goering stole this painting because the Madonna  and child look so white! 

What on earth  is happening under this man’s robes? 

And , I’ve seen lots of people walking dogs in Italy, but never anyone walking dragons. 

I got irritated by the usual things: selfie sticks, tour groups, crowds around famous pictures,

but I  did enjoy  examining the paintings that the large groups were ignoring. I also got intrigued by tiny details like  the little angels which  look like they are humans crossed with swallows,


and the depiction of animals just like the ones I have seeing in the streets.

I kept trying to keep going, but in the end, there was so much to see that I had to give up with overload.  We decided that quite a few days of visiting are needed to really appreciate this museum.
I do hope I make it back!!!!

We also wandered  round the town people watching and window shopping.   We came across a social reception where we watched very dressed up women tottering along on their  Very high heels, which from the look of it, is not easy.  Ankles kept bending and feet kept shooting out beneath them.  I came to the  conclusion that one needs a male escort holding one’s arm to keep one from face planting on rock.

  I do like Florence, but I do loathe the crowds.  I am working in a world wide law that  decrees that no one is allowed to be a tourist but me!